Ice defenders are rivals off the field

Iron Bowl pride still high for Hall, Carter

Fans can argue all day long about what's the best rivalry in sports. But there's no question that Alabama-Auburn football is on everyone's short list.

And of the eight current starters on the Colorado Ice defense, there happens to be one from each SEC school.

Antoine Carter, a former Tiger defensive end, and Prince Hall, a former Crimson Tide linebacker, may be a couple years removed from their college days and on the same team now, but that hasn't stopped either from representing their school pride at the expense of the other.

"Every day (Hall) comes to practice with these Alabama shorts on, so I try to roll his pants up in his girdle so that the A can be hidden," said Carter, who was named the Indoor Football League's Defensive Player of the Week for his two-sack performance in Colorado's 48-33 win over Wyoming. "Just to let him know that Auburn, we run it everywhere no matter where we are."

Prince Hall

It's a back-and-forth that started back on April 10 when Carter joined the team, as Hall is quick to dish it right back.

"We always give each other stuff, like I try to tape up his little logo up. I try to rip his clothes up. It's just something we do every day," he says. "We're still good, though, because that was a few years ago. But the rivalry's still with us. We know that.

"For the most part, we're just playing with each other. But at the same time, we're still serious."

Hall spent three seasons at Alabama from 2006-08, but it wasn't just one play or game that he remembers most about his time in Tuscaloosa; rather it was those moments just before a kickoff against Auburn that he'll never forget.

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"Before that game, you just feel something you can't really describe," said Hall, who leads the Ice this season with 64 total tackles entering tonight's 7 p.m. game at the Budweiser Events Center against the Nebraska Danger. "You're just so ready for it. You don't even have to be playing. You can just be on the sideline and you feel it.

"You can lose every game, but do not lose that game against Auburn."

Carter, on the other, hand -- who played for the Tigers from 2007-10 -- said one play from the 2010 Iron Bowl easily sticks out more than any other.

"We were down 21-0, and Mark Ingram caught a pass out of the backfield, was about to score and make it 28-0," he said, "and I ran him down and stripped him and got us the ball."

The Tigers, of course, came all the way back and won that game on the way to their first national championship since 1957. But that was more than two years ago. And as much as Hall and Carter like giving each other a hard time, they're more than happy to put the rivalry aside when the Ice take the field.

In addition to his quarterback pressure, Hall said Carter has brought more energy to the Ice defensive front, making his job of chasing down ball carriers and pass catchers easier.

"I mean he came from a good program like I did, so I pretty much relate to his attitude as far as just getting the job done," Hall said. "I think he brought that to the table, as far as a sense of urgency toward getting the job done."

With Carter first getting a chance to start two weeks ago for an injured Darius Hart, coach Heron O'Neal said he likes what he's seen so far but that the key will be for Carter to prove he can continue to produce on a weekly basis.

"If he can consistently do that, that's what it comes down to. Because we've had guys that get a bunch of sacks in one game, and then go four or five games without getting a sack," O'Neal said. "So hopefully we can build off that and actually use it as momentum moving forward."

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